tilt
by team effort
Summary: anything can happen on an ordinary night.


It took some persuading from Lettie - to be accurate, some _nagging_ \- but she'd given in and gone to the pub with her and Sara after classes were done. They were on summer holiday now anyway, and mum was working late, so she didn't have much reason to worry about the morning after. Still, she was feeling sore that Jake had had the nerve to _text_ her that they were _breaking up_ \- god, what kind of decent guy _did that_ kind of thing at all? - and no matter how much Lettie and Sara concurred that Jake was, everything considered, a complete tosser, the knowledge of it stung. So she was sitting quietly while Lettie and Sara chatted away, eyes roving over the other patrons with faint interest, swirling her pint.

She'd come by often enough to recognize which people were regulars and which ones weren't, but as she skimmed over the roadmen who'd come in just to watch the Liverpool game and the gaggle of tanned, blonde beauties who were surely in the initial stretch of their tour through any number of exclusive parties happening around town, she chanced on a group of boys holed up in a corner booth, nursing full drinks with a kind of airy nonchalance she associated with guys like Jamie or Chris, who were stars of their football teams and had apparently gotten offers to play professionally - a privileged sort of confidence in knowing you were the best. The cut of their suits - and really, who wore that kind of stuff to a pub on a Saturday night? - reminded her of an Armani ad, those sunkissed, square-jawed boys leisurely summering in Italy while ordinary folk like her had to endure the muggy, unglamorous English summer.

They clearly stood out among the other patrons; although she'd sworn off boys for an entire year after what happened with Jake, she found herself wandering back to that dark corner, taking in the way they looked, posh. Lettie, quick to notice how keen she was on that trio, started badgering her, making funny faces as she attempted to defend her integrity, spluttering indignantly that she didn't fancy them in the slightest, while Sara, bemused, laughed at her misfortune.

"I don't even know who they are!" she hissed. "There's no way any of them would be remotely interested - "

"Jen, I mean seriously, how daft do you have to be not to notice that that _boy_ has been eyeing you for the past hour - "

"Oh shut it! He's doing absolutely nothing of the sort."

"Jen - "

"Honestly Lettie, would you just drop it?"

"Christ, Jen, _pay attention_ , alright?" Lettie was grinning proudly as she pointed - not so discreetly, to her chagrin - at the corner booth. "Look, he's getting up! Eight pounds I'll bet you he's coming over here to talk to you."

"She's right," Sara chimed in, laughing as she flagged the barman down for another pint. "Chrissakes, Jen, just give him a chance. If you can't even be arsed to let him buy you a drink - "

"Fine," she relented, throwing up her hands as she made to unsteadily hop off her stool. "Only to shut you two up. I swear, if this is some sort of joke - "

"Shh! He's coming!" Lettie shot Sara a mischievous glance and started to usher her away to another section of the pub, but not before calling out, "Tell us how it goes!"

Inwardly, she cursed and smoothed out the front of her dress as best she could just as the boy Lettie'd been speculating about took the seat next to her, resting his arm on the countertop. There was an easy smile on his face, and she noticed, strangely, that his tie, which she'd thought had been plain black, was really a rather nice shade of emerald green. He really did seem like the posh type - she wondered, in an absent way, how much that blazer cost.

"So," the boy announced. "What've you and your friends been spying on us for?"

 _Oh god_. Feeling her cheeks begin to flush red, she stammered, "Erm, it was really nothing, I mean Lettie's such a gossip about everyone we meet, even complete strangers, and I'm sorry if it seemed that way - we really weren't saying anything bad, honestly - erm, I mean I wasn't, Lettie was..."

 _And now you're babbling like a schoolgirl. Terrific first impression._ God, he really was quite handsome - she'd rarely lost her composure like this before around other boys, but something about him - _If only Lettie had kept her big mouth shut! -_ made her feel decidedly unimpressive, and so now she was trailing off awkwardly, thoroughly flustered. She expected him to give her an odd look and walk off - maybe she would have liked it if he did - but instead, he chuckled and called the barman over to order them both another round.

"Really, it's no problem. I'm Theo, by the way," he said. "Sorry. Couldn't help but notice you all by yourself and thought you'd want some company."

 _I'll bet_. "Jen," she answered, cordial. "You're not from around here, aren't you? I mean, it's just - well, different vibe, you know?"

"I know." He didn't sound put off by her clumsy phrasing, which was a relief.

"We're on holiday," he explained, "my mates and I. My dad owns some property down here, so we decided to come down for the weekend and have a bit of fun. You?"

"Same as well." Feeling a little bolder now that he hadn't blown her off, she asked, "You're not from one of those posh boarding schools, are you? I was just thinking - that crest - " she pointed at his coat " - I've never seen it before."

"You could call it that," he replied, shrugging. "It's up in Scotland. They're pretty selective about the kinds of people they admit. Not to sound conceited, of course," he added, and she smiled back at him to let him know she _no, she hadn't found it conceited at all_ , even though she was quite sure that he was that posh type of boy and it made her feel even less at ease.

"Ah. Here we are." He was holding out a glass for her to take. "Cheers."

"Cheers." She tossed back her drink in one gulp, watching him do the same - a bit more cleanly, it seemed, than her own technique. Still, it was nice to feel the heat of the liquor in the back of her throat smoothing over her anxiety like a warm blanket. When he ordered a second time, she toasted him with more gusto, and he chuckled, a pleasantly rich, charming sound.

"I was just thinking..."

"Yeah?"

"Well," he said, still with that cheeky grin, "I dunno - pretty thing like you, I'd have thought there'd be loads of guys already trying to get your number."

She was blushing again. "You're the first one tonight."

His grin widened. "Guess it's my lucky day."

She found herself smiling too, and soon enough, they were stumbling out through the back, her arm draped over his shoulder, and she was laughing at some clever joke he'd made - at least, she assumed it was a joke, she couldn't really hear it, something that sounded like _come fund us_ or the like - and now they were leaning against the brick wall, panting, her hair mussed and his tie hanging askew. Out in the clear air, he smelled like tobacco and spice, exotic, and like liquor; her heart was beating wildly inside her chest as he drew her chin up to look him in the eyes.

"You're beautiful, Jen," he told her. The way he said it, she believed him fully, giddy with excitement. More than anything right now, she wanted to put her fingers through his hair and bring him close and kiss him, and she was sure his lips would taste sweeter than anything she'd ever experienced, she was sure because this was what it felt like, right? Lettie and Patricia and all those other girls would talk about it knowingly, teasing her with, "You'll know he's a keeper when you know", but she'd just dismissed it as a bit of childish whimsy especially after how sourly her relationship with Jake had gone. But now, pressed up against this gorgeous boy, she knew.

She was in love.

"Hey Theo!"

Disappointed, she felt his weight pulling away as two others - the boys he'd been sitting with - came up to them. They were wearing the same expensive-looking coats Theo wore, and the same green ties, gleaming like snakeskin in the backalley light.

"We were just looking for you," one of them spoke up, dark-skinned and curly-haired - as much a looker as Theo was. "Hope we didn't just interrupt you two lovebirds." She blushed and Theo laughed with his friends.

"Nah, 's nothing. You don't mind, do you, Jen?"

Theo was looking at her expectantly, so she shook her head no. But secretly, she did mind because she'd been on the verge of _something_ with Theo, and now the mood was spoiled. Maybe it was the self-consciousness she felt, surrounded by Theo's mates in their fine clothing and her in her rather shabby dress, but she wished Theo would tell them to leave so it would just be the two of them alone, and Theo would kiss her and make her melt -

"Mind if we watch, Jen?" the curly-haired boy asked, nudging his partner in the ribs, who snickered. _Christ, posh or not, boys really are just - !_ She turned to Theo, waiting for him tell them _no_ , _I'd like her to myself_ , _thank you very much_ , but Theo only laughed along and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Come on Jen, it's just Henry's a bit of a voyeur - don't listen, I promise it'll be fine."

"I'd really rather they not be here."

"Aw, c'mon Jen - "

"No, Theo, I really mean it. I really do. Please?" _If you love me back, you'll tell them to go away_ , she thought, gnawing on her bottom lip as she waited for Theo to tell his friends off.

After a long pause, Theo sighed and turned toward the two boys still eyeing them at the end of the street. "Guess it can't be helped." She felt her heart fluttering, she was so proud, until Theo reached inside his jacket and pulled out - _what in the hell was that?_ \- what looked, absurdly, like a wood branch. His mates giggled. One of the lights buzzed, a metallic cough, as Theo brushed her hair back, his eyes shining with eagerness.

"Don't worry babe," he murmured. "I know you're nervous. Just focus on me."

"Theo - "

"This'll be over in a sec." He shushed her, raising the branch, that wonderful smile of his all that she could see as he said, " _Oblivi_ \- "


End file.
